[Sudanpan]

Soooo excited!! 
When we first bought our smallholding we got owl box plans off the RSPB and built an owl box which we duly put up in a tree close to our entrance in 2008.

We had never seen any sign of anything going on - some interest from the jackdaws, but otherwise nothing.

Anyway - over the last couple of weeks I was convinced that I could hear a sort of scratchy squawk in the vicinity of the owl box, but still no obvious sign.

So, this evening at dusk we were gobsmacked to see 2 juveniles - one had jumped down to the hdge and the other was sat on the ledge of the box peering around at the world. Eventually the 2nd owlet also jumped off and joined the other one in the hedge and wall. One of the parent birds also appeared on the scene.

We're very nervous that all is well as they don't look like they can get back to the nest - but at least with an adult with them they should be ok - fingers crossed.

Had to share the news 

Tish

[jaykay]

Oh, how exciting 

[Lesley Silvester]

Wow!  I love owls.  I am so jealous.

[Sudanpan]

So, this morning we had a look around to see if we could see any signs of the owls from last night - at first couldn't see anything but then I noticed this little chap sitting by the tree under where the nest box is located. He looked a bit sleepy and bedraggled. We couldn't see the other juvenile, or parents, anywhere so took the decision to catch the youngster and return him to the next box.
Jim stood in front of the owl to make it look at him, while I crept around the back with a towel. Very carefully I covered the back and wings of the youngster and gently lifted it off the branch, then Jim took hold of it and climbed up the ladder towards the box - as they got closer to the box the owl started to wriggle so Jim fair sprinted the last few rungs just in time to allow the owl to whizz straight into the opening of the nest box - so it was obviously very pleased to get back!
Hopefully we haven't messed things up, but we really felt that the youngster would be in danger out in the open (lots of feral cats and foxes around) as it seems it can't fly at the moment.
Fingers crossed

[Womble]

He's gorgeous!!

Don't worry TOO much about them being out of their nest at this stage though - look up 'tawny owl branching' for more details. You'd be amazed what they can climb back up to get into their nests if they want to!!

[smudger]

Keep us updated. We have tawnies nesting nearby (move to the countryside for peace and quiet? Not with tawnies around screeching for food! Luv 'em though).

We haven't been fortunate enough to see them (and didn't want to snoop tooo much and frighten them).

Did think about putting some boxes up - where / how did you fix them and how much were the RSPB ones? Others I have seen were c£100 which was a bit off putting.

[deepinthewoods]

cool!!

[Fleecewife]

Lovely tale and lovely pics    Keep us updated 

[goosepimple]

Those pics are great and you've inspired me to do that as a summer project with the kids.  Do you know if it will continue to use it as a home all year or return next year?  I don't know much about owls so good time to start learning.  We did have a barn owl on our last farm, we didn't know until we found it dead on the stairs in the barn, it was during all the snow and it died from starvation (we had an autopsy done).  Someone told us to put out dog food high up during long periods of snow to give them something to eat.  We did that at our new place during the second year of snow but we saw a barn owl here ignoring it lots of times 

[HelenVF]

Wow, brilliant photos.  We have tawny owls around here but not in nest boxes.  We regularly have them, and their young in the garden and have even had a young one peer in my velux window and slide down it!  Good job I knew what it was! lol

Helen

[Sudanpan]

As far as I understand it the female owl will probably return to the nest box for next season - but the main hunting ground is elsewhere and as the juveniles get bigger they permanently leave the nest box, but remain with the adult for quite a while (this is info I have gleaned off the 'net - not personal experience!)

Smudger - we downloaded the RSPB template plans and then made the box ourselves using marine-ply. They are quite big, I think we used 2 x 8' by 4' sheets. We sort of wedged the box in the tree - with some 2 x 2 struts acting as a base and frame. It has survived some hairy wind conditions but seems as solid as a rock. The door and ledge face pretty much due north .

[Lesley Silvester]

Lovely photos.  How high up is your box?  It doesn't look very high so I'm wondering if I could have one.  I don't have any tall trees in my garden.

[Mammyshaz]

Brilliant photos!  Come summer they will thank you endlessly with 2-4 am hoots if our neighbours pair are anything to go by,

Don't know wether to smile or shoot! ( only peashootwrs here tho)

Hopefully earn their fan club  by keeping down the rats   

[smudger]

Thx Sudanpan - will have a look at RSPC website, but then weather proof ply ain't cheap....

Amazed that they are nesting so close to other houses!

[Sudanpan]

Update - last night we only saw one juvenile at the nest box - he came out onto the ledge and was fed by incoming parent/s - he spent alot of time squawking. Can't really tell if it was the one we put back in the box - hope so otherwise that would mean that one didn't make it. We are hoping that the other one was maybe a day or so older so has moved out and is already in the local woodland with the parents feeding it there - we couldn't hear any other squawking nearby.

Lovely photos.  How high up is your box?  It doesn't look very high so I'm wondering if I could have one.  I don't have any tall trees in my garden.

The box is probably about 12 ft off the ground

Amazed that they are nesting so close to other houses!

The only house is ours - and the white door is to the detached garage. The next house is 100 yards away (to the right of the nest box as you look at our house) and the public road is 130 yards away so we really are pretty quiet.

There are some great photos of tawny owl juveniles and chicks sitting in the branches of trees in Hyde Park so their obviously not too precious about peace and quiet!